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APPLICATION TIMELINE & CHECKLISTFor Students Applying to Medical Schools for Entering Class 2023 (EC23)INTRODUCTIONThe instructions and timeline on the following pages are intended for GS postbac andundergraduate premeds who plan to apply, with the support of the GS PremedicalCommittee, to medical school in 2022 for 2023 admission. We’ve packed a lot ofinformation into just a few pages, with the goal of providing a concise summary of thekey milestones and action items. For thorough and more detailed information aboutall aspects of the application process, see the document “Application YearGuidelines” available on the web site under the tab “Applying to Medical -school).This document consists of two parts. The first section provides a month-by-monthtimeline and checklist, beginning in Fall 2021, for applying for the EC23 generaladmission cycle. The second describes the schedule of assurance dates by which thePostbac Program will submit committee letters of support to AMCAS and otherapplication services.The Premedical Committee is eager to collaborate with you on the important projectof applying to medical school and we look forward to getting to know you better inthe course of doing so.
TIMELINE AND CHECKLISTFOR EC23 GENERAL APPLICATION CYCLEFALL 2021 Register for an AAMC ID. The internal application requires the applicant to have an AAMC ID. This canbe acquired at any time. To register with the AAMC, click the sign-in link in the top-right of the AMCAShomepage ol-amcas/applying-medical-school-amcas )then click Register for an AAMC Account and complete and submit the online registration form. October 2021 Attend one of the required general applicant meetings for students planning to apply in 2022:o October 14 at 9 a.m. (in person)o October 18 at noon (in person)o October 22 at 11:30 a.m. (in person)o October 27 at 7 p.m. (online) Registration opens for MCAT test dates in January, March, April, May, and June 2022. Attend the MCAT panel (date TBA).JANUARY 2022 January 20 Submit your internal application by noon on this date in order to be eligible for a PremedicalCommittee Letter for EC23. Students who do not submit the internal application by this date willnot be eligible for a committee letter in this cycle. Materials in this internal application include:o web form questionnaire responses,o essays,o work & activities entries,o a draft of your common application personal statement,o photograph (head shot), ando verification of clinical experience to date.The required components of the internal application are described in the document “Essays andUploads” available at gs.columbia.edu/content/applying-medical-school. [Postbacs only:] Apply for the Certificate in Premedical Sciences through the Student Success Portal. Begin reading the Medical School Application Year Guidelines available .FEBRUARY 2022 Schedule a portfolio review for some time between February and the first week in June. One week beforeyour portfolio review, you should e-mail your advisor a revised draft of your personal statement. Attend the PPSC’s annual Medical School Fair (date TBA).2
Register for the MCAT, if you have not already done so. Order a set of your transcripts to review for accuracy and to use when completing the AMCAS applicationin May/June (you will need to reorder your Columbia transcript showing your spring grades). February 14 Date by which students are encouraged to have recommendation letters on file with the PostbacPremed Program Office from:o supervisors of completed research/clinical experienceso previous employerso Columbia faculty from courses completed in previous semesterso faculty at non-Columbia academic institutions Students are encouraged to act early, but letters of recommendation will be accepted until June 30,2022 at noon.MARCH 2022 Attend a personal statement writing workshop, if you have not already done so.APRIL 2022 Ask faculty of spring courses and year-long courses for recommendations, if appropriate. Tell GS premed advisor anticipated MCAT date. Attend Application Year Panel.MAY 2022 [Postbacs only:] Attend Postbac Class Day (each postbac finishing study in the spring or summer 2022 iswelcome to invite two guests). Tentative 2022 date: May 13. AMCAS application usually goes live during the first week of May. Begin to fill out AMCAS application,drawing on an accurate set of transcripts. Meet with the Postbac Program’s writing consultant to discuss drafts of your personal statement. Meet with your premedical advisor to discuss where you plan to apply. If you did not do so previously, order a complete set of transcripts after the spring semester. Check themfor errors. If there are errors, follow up with the appropriate registrar. Have transcripts from all institutions attended sent to AMCAS using the AMCAS transcript request form. Have your Columbia transcript sent to AMCAS electronically through Student Services Online (SSOL).On the “Select Documents” page, be sure to choose the “AMCAS Transcript” option. Do not have yourColumbia transcript sent until spring semester grades have been recorded on it.3
JUNE 2022 June 15 Submit AMCAS application (and AACOMAS and TMDSAS, if applicable) by June 15 at noon andupload a copy to your portfolio.o If applying with committee support, select the letter type “Committee Letter” in the Lettersof Evaluation section of AMCAS; title this “Columbia University Premedical CommitteeLetter.” As the primary author, list your premedical advisor in the form Dean [first name] [lastname]. The Committee Letter will encompass not only the letter written by the PremedicalCommittee, but also a selection of the individual letters of recommendation on file in thePremedical Office. Do not select “Letter Packet” or “Individual Letter”; also, do not list theindividual letters in your file at Columbia. June 30 Take the MCAT by June 30. If you plan to take the MCAT after this date, you must submit anextension request by June 30 at noon. By this date at noon, your portfolio in the GS Premedical Office must contain the items listed below.If it is missing any of these items, you must submit an extension request by June 30 at noon.o Minimally four letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be from ColumbiaUniversity science faculty.o A copy of the common application that was submitted electronically to the commonapplication service (AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS). The only common application thatwill be accepted is one that has already been submitted. The submission date should bestamped at the top of the first page of the AMCAS application as proof ofsubmission. Applications without the date will be returned. You must upload a pdf ofyour common application to your portfolio on the internal application status page.o A screenshot of your MCAT registration confirmation (showing the date, time, andaddress of your MCAT exam).o Verification of pertinent health care experience (at least 120 hours).JULY 2022 Situational Judgment Tests: A growing number (45 and counting) of medical schoolsrequire applicants to take a situational judgment test (SJT), a vehicle for assessing an applicant’sjudgment and aptitude for decision-making. Most schools requiring an SJT prescribe CASPer(Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics), a 90-minute web-basedtest; a smaller number of schools prescribe the AAMC’s PREview Professional Readiness Exam(90-105 minutes). The exams are not interchangeable and you may need to take both. Forinformation about CASPer, see: caspertest.com. For information about PREview, see: ew-professional-readiness-exam. If you need to takeSJTs, we recommend that you do so by the end of July. July 31 Your portfolio must be complete by noon on this date (for those who applied for a deadlineextension by June 30).4
The MCAT must be taken by this date (for those who applied for a deadline extension by June 30).Note: The last MCAT administration date in July is July 29.JULY/AUGUST 2022 After submitting your common application, though perhaps not until it has been verified, you will beginreceiving secondary applications. Aim to submit secondary applications by the first week of August regardlessof the date provided by the medical school. (If you receive secondary applications in August, plan to submitthem within two weeks.) Resolve any financial holds at Columbia.AUGUST 2022 August 15 This is the date by which your committee letter will be uploaded, if you have met the relevantdeadlines listed below under “Overview of Committee Letter Eligibility and Assurance Dates.”SEPTEMBER 2022 September 1 This is the date by which your committee letter will be uploaded, if you took the MCAT by July 31and your portfolio was complete by July 31 (with approved extensions beyond the June 30 deadline).FALL 2022 AND SPRING 2023 Postbacs will be automatically enrolled in “maintenance of status,” unless they are enrolled in classes atColumbia during these semesters. Please keep the status of your application at each of the schools to which you are applying current on yourportfolio status page. If you have invitations for interviews, update the application tracker in Slate andschedule a mock interview with a GS premed advisor. Before each medical school interview, consult the interview feedback forms found iew-feedback. After each interview: Complete the interview feedback form found at the link above. Send thank you notes to your interviewers. Keep in touch with your advisor throughout the application year. When you matriculate at medical school, please send your advisor a photograph of you at your White CoatCeremony. We’d love to see it and (with your permission) to share it with current postbacs.5
OVERVIEW OF COMMITTEE LETTER ELIGIBILITY AND ASSURANCE DATESThe GS Premedical Committee provides a committee letter of support for every student who meets eligibilitycriteria (outlined at recommendation). In order to receivea committee letter for the EC23 application cycle, students must submit an internal application (componentsof which are listed on p. 2 of this document) via the Slate portal by January 20, 2022, at noon. Students whosubmit by this date are eligible for committee support for EC 23. Students who do not submit by this date arenot.A student’s committee letter will be uploaded either by August 15 or by September 1, depending on whenthe student submits the AMCAS application, takes the MCAT, and has a complete portfolio on file with thePremedical Office (see the required elements of a complete portfolio below). The deadlines are shown in thetable below.If you meet these deadlines Your letter will be uploaded by August 15AMCAS submitted by June 15MCAT taken by June 30Portfolio complete by June 30September 1AMCAS submitted by June 30 withapproved extension request MCAT taken by July 31 with approvedextension request Portfolio complete by July 31 withapproved extension requestIf you miss any of these deadlines Submit your internal application by January 20 at noon Submit your AMCAS application by June 30 at noon Take the MCAT by July 31 Have a complete portfolio by July 31 at noon you will not be eligible to receive a letter of committee support for the EC23 cycle.Notes on the deadlines above: Students who intend to submit AMCAS (or other common application) after June 15must request an extension by noon on that date. A student whose request is approved willbe allowed to submit the common application as late as noon on June 30. Students who intend to take the MCAT after June 30 must submit a request for anextension by noon on that date; their requests must indicate the planned MCAT date. Students whose portfolio will not be complete by June 30 must submit a request for anextension by noon on that date. This request must include an explanation for the delay and aproposed date by which the outstanding materials will be submitted. Requests for an extension to the AMCAS submission deadline, the MCAT deadline, or thecomplete portfolio deadline should be made with the online form on Slate. Students will findthe link to this form on their application status page when they log into their portfolios.6
A portfolio will be considered incomplete on July 31 at noon if it does not contain all of thefollowing: Minimally four letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be fromColumbia University science faculty. A copy of the common application that was submitted electronically to the commonapplication service (AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS). The only commonapplication that will be accepted is one that has already been submitted. Thesubmission date should be stamped at the top of the first page of the AMCASapplication as proof of submission. Applications without the date will bereturned. You must upload a pdf of your common application to your portfolio onthe internal application status page by the deadline. A screenshot of your MCAT registration confirmation (showing the date, time,and address of your MCAT exam). Verification of pertinent health care experience.7
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CHECKLIST For Students Applying to Medical Schools for Entering Class 2023 (EC23) I NTRODUCTION. The instructions and timeline on the following pages are intended for GS postbac and
